I awoke to thunder crackling. Lightening blossomed in the sky, illuminating the room. It didn't take me long to realize this wasn't my bedroom, this wasn't my bed.

Carson and my father were in the room, my brother laying beside me, an arm across his eyes, and my father asleep in the armchair at the bedside. His snores were loud, like a freaking chainsaw.

"Hey, you're awake," my older brother said, hoisting himself up. "Slow down, bub." He stood, flicking on the light as he came to the bedside, cuffing our father on the back of the head.

"Wha?" My dad moaned, his eyes widening and he scrambled to sit up. "Tarryn, you're awake. How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"Like crap," I said, trying to sit up, my heart beginning to pound. "What about mom? Did you find her? She, she, she ..."

"I've sent some people to Oxford, called the detectives on the case. Jed ..." my father trailed off, "sweetheart, I'm sorry. He didn't deserve to die, especially not like he did."

"So ... he's dead? Really dead?" I croaked, sobs stuck in my throat. My heart constricted, this fucked with my mind, and I was starting to lose control.

My dad, Alessio Rainwalker, had tears in his eyes. I hadn't seen him cry since my Nana's funeral three years ago. "I'm sorry sweetheart, Jed was a good man. He was a good father too."

"Why did they kill him?" I asked, not sure who they ever was, but I hoped my father had some answers.

"I am trying to figure that out. Everyone is trying to locate your mom. She, she never said anything about the case. I had no idea she was working on something more, something bigger."

"What, what, what happens now?" I stuttered. I stutter when I was anxious or angry. It annoyed the shit out of me when I didn't have control over my own mouth, my own words. "Have you heard from her at all?"

"Bub, you need to calm down," Carson warned, squeezing my shoulder for comfort, "you're gonna bust a stitch."

I gave him a dirty look, before turning to my dad. "Why wouldn't she tell us? She never once hinted she was investigating anyone else other than Kessler."

"This is ... she's never kept something like this from me," my father murmured, mostly to himself. "Whenever she was working a case that could put you or your siblings in danger, she told me. She never said a damn word."

"What will happen now?" I asked, wringing my hands. "What ... Gilbert. Where's Gilbert?" How could I forget about him?

"I've called the police dispatch, I'm expecting a call back in the morning. For now, we have to sit tight and wait. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"In the meantime," my older brother said, "you're stuck with us. You need to rest. No screens, 'kay? You have a concussion."

I nodded, scowling when he ruffled my hair. "Will they come after me?"

My dad clenched his jaw, eyes hardening. "No. You didn't see anything. You're safe with us, I will not let anyone touch you. I'll kill them myself if I have to."

+++

Carson and Skyler were sitting on either side of me at the kitchen island, shovelling cereal in their mouths like unruly pigs.

"What are you doing?" I asked, making them both pause.

Skyler looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "We're not ... we're not doing anything, bub." He sounded so confused.

I smiled. "I didn't know you two could imitate pigs so well."

Carson gasped, dropping his spoon in his bowl. What a drama queen. "How dare you call us pigs." He poked my sides, and I laughed, pushing away his hands.

"Technically, I didn't call you pigs, just that you act like ones."

"You're a little brat," Skyler mumbled, shaking his head. I noticed his lips twitching into a warm smile. He stood and took his bowl to the sink, rinsing it.

"I mean, is she wrong though?"

I whipped my head around and grinned. "June,"

"Hey, bub," she said, walking until she stood in front of me. "I missed you." Her tattooed arms snaked around me and I was suddenly smothered in a hug.

"Can't ... breathe," I gasped and she pulled away, rolling her eyes.

"I must say, I'm not a fan of this new look," she commented, waving to my bruised face and arms. "You look too much like Matt when he gets home from a night out."

I reached out and pinched her arm, making her yelp.
More footsteps shuffled behind us. My dad and two people, a man and women, followed behind them. "Kids, this is Detective Anderson and Detective Hayward. They were working with your mom ... and are now investigating Jed's murder and your moms disappearance."

"We have some questions for you, Tarryn. Alessio, is there somewhere we can talk privately?" The woman, Detective Anderson asked, her thin lips pursed in a frown.

My dad nodded, gesturing towards the hall. "Yes, my office is this way."

I followed them, anxious. I hadn't told anyone I had snuck out and went to a party. We reached my dads office at the end of the hallway, entering, and I felt lightheaded sitting down in one of the cushioned chairs. His office was quite comfortable. Large bookcases were one either wall, books I loved to read  them.

Hayward sat down opposite of me, offering a small smile. He had cold blue eyes and blond hair. "I know this is a really difficult time, but I need you to be honest with me. Tarryn, where were you Tuesday evening?"

Okay, not what I was been expecting.

"What?"

"Where were you Tuesday night, from 8 p.m to 7 a.m?"

"At a party, I was at my friends party," I muttered, glancing down at my hands. I heard my dad sigh, a huge disappointed sigh. Hayward nodded and I noticed Anderson write in her notepad, which made me curious. "What does this have anything to do with my moms disappearance? With the person who killed Jed?"

"I will explain in a moment," he said, reaching for the file he had set on the desk. He flipped it open and took out a photograph and held it up for me to see. "Do you know this man?"

The man in the photograph had a sleek figure, dark hair, and looked to be about in his mid-thirties. His grey eyes stared into the camera, his lips in a straight line.

"No. Should I?"

"He worked at the university," Anderson said, "as a janitor. We have reason to believe that he was involved with your mother's disappearance and the murder of Jedidiah McArthur." Did she have to be so fucking blunt?"

"Are you sure you've never seen him before, sweetheart?" My dad asked.

"Yes, I have never seen him in my life," I snapped. I felt guilty, knowing they had to ask these questions. "I'm sorry, it's just-"

Hayward leaned forward. "Don't apologize, I understand. This is a difficult time and the process is harsh. The reason I asked where you were is because your mother made twenty one phone calls to your phone, which made us realize you weren't in the house at the time of the attack."

"We're trying to set a timeline. Quite frankly, other than Mr. Cartwright, we have no other suspects. No other leads."

"You mean to say, my stepfather is dead and my mom is missing and you have no idea who is responsible?"

Anderson nodded. "Units are still investigating the house, phone records, emails, even the case file of Paul Kessler."

"When we were in the car, after I had got home and found Jed, she said this was all connected to Kessler," I remembered. "Are you going to look into him for this? Like maybe he hired someone to kill her for revenge or something."

"We are looking into that, yes," Hayward stated. "Right now, I'm afraid we don't have much to go on yet. Is there anything else you can tell us? Anything your mom said?"

I closed my eyes, thinking about the few minutes in the car with my mom.

"I know you are scared right now, and I am too," she said, her voice full of emotion. "Jed was murdered. We were working on a case ... we were in too far. Things got ... complicated."

"What, I don't understand ..." I mumbled, trying to not throw up all over the dashboard. "You were on the Kessler case."

"Kessler murdered those women, girls. He murdered many more too and Hudson and Timmons have taken over gathering evidence for the trial."

"What are you saying? That, that, he killed Jed? He's in prison."

"While investigating Kessler, we found out he was connected to a larger OCG," she stated, which confused me more. "Sons of Solomon. It's a international organization and I've been working with dozens of - FBI, DEA, Interpol-"

"Sons of Solomon," I blurted, "that's the OCG she mentioned."

Hayward nodded, his eyes darkening at the mention of this gang or group or whatever they called themselves. "That's good, is there anything else? Even the tiniest detail can help."

I bit my lip, thoughts racing. "She said they were in too far, that things got complicated. W-what does that even mean?" I glanced up at my dad, wondering if he knew anything about this.

Hayward furrowed his brow, looking perplexed. "I am not sure, yet, but you have given us a lot to work with, Tarryn. Thank you."

The two detectives spoke with my dad for a moment. Hayward stood next to me, smiling. "I forgot to mention, your friends are very concerned, especially someone by the name of Josiah. He threatened many officers in his demand for answers, even threw a rock at one of the cruises. Maybe you should call him?"

I couldn't help but smile. "I will, thank you," I said and my eyes widened. "Oh my God. Gilbert."

He tilted his head, confused. "I don't know-"

"My cat, Gilbert. Is he okay? Where is he?" I cried, swallowing hard. I'm a horrible cat mom. My dad caught my shoulder, grounding me.

"Gilbert is here, sweetheart, Hayward brought him," he murmured, offering a gentle smile. "He's okay. They found him locked in your bedroom."

I held my chest. "Oh thank you."

"Come. I left him in the mudroom," he said, and glanced at the detectives. "Keep me in the loop, please."

Anderson nodded. "We will, Mr. Rainwalker. Please, call us if you think of anything else," she said, her eyes meeting mine. I nodded and left the room in search of Gilbert.

+++

I stared out the window, lost in my own head. Gilbert purred beside me, curled up into a ball. It'd been a few hours since the detectives left and I had settled into my bedroom.

Why did my mom not tell me?

For the last eight months, she was working on the Kessler case as a criminologist, working with the lead detectives to piece together motives and behaviours of Paul Kessler.

He was a serial killer. A monster. He killed at least 12 women and girls, as young as twelve years old. It was sickening what he did, before and after he murdered them. It reminded me that I would have to ask my dad what he knew about Sons of Solomon.

My mom vowed to bring justice for those women and girls, for their families, to put Kessler away for life, possibly even the death sentence. I just didn't realize how deep she had gotten into the case ... cases?

I wasn't surprised though. My mom has the determination and willpower, and when she became invested in something, she didn't give up. It gave me have hope that she would be okay.

Movement in the room made me startle. I chuckled when I noticed it was just Skyler. He smiled, knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah. What's up?" I tried to smile, but it came out a grimace.

Like all my brothers, Skyler had to duck under the frame. He wore a white dress shirt and blue jeans, his hair wet from a shower. "I wanted to check in. I know ... fuck, I can't believe this is happening," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "How are you doing?"

"I don't know ... I'm anxious. Not like that's anything new," I said, smirking.

Skyler nodded, understanding what I meant. "Carson is talking with your doctor right now, refilling your prescriptions." I nodded, grateful, since I had left all my medications at home. He reached into his jeans pocket, taking out a black iPhone 8. "Dad wanted me to give you this, since yours is gone."

I took it. "Thanks. I ... I haven't called Josiah yet."

Skyler leaned against the wall, studying me with worry. "Why not? He's worried about you, bub."

I shrugged, glancing out the window again. "I don't know," but in truth, I would break down talking to him. Outside my family, Josiah was the person I trusted most, the one I confided in, my best friend.

"Call him. When you're ready, just - just don't shut him out." Skyler reasoned and I knew he was right. "I have to go to a business meeting with dad, but I'll be back later this afternoon. Carson, June, and I will take you shopping."

I opened my mouth to protest, but my brother ruffled my hair and kissed my cheek. "See you later, bub." And he was out of the room before I could say I don't want to go shopping.

With his footsteps fading, I gripped the phone and called Josiah, recalling his number from memory. "Who the hell is this?" He answered on the second ring.

I smiled. "Hello to you too, Joey."

"Oh sweet baby Jesus," he whispered, relief evident in his voice. "I was so fucking worried, Tarryn."

"I know, I'm sorry," I said.

"Is it true? Your mom made you jump from the car?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty banged up. Concussion, stitches, bruises galore."

"I mean, that's nothing compared to what could have happened," he murmured.

"You're right. I just ... I don't know what to do," I said, a lump forming in my throat. "It's killing me not knowing if she's okay ... if she's alive or -"

"Don't, Tarryn," he warned. "You mom is strong, she's a fighter. You have to think positively, okay?" He continued to talk and I listened, calming me down.

"I have to go, Mr. Travis is saying he'll give me detention if I don't go to class," he grumbled and I rolled my eyes.

"I won't miss him at all."

"I figured not. You'll call me again soon, yeah?"

"Yeah, Joey. I will. Thanks, you helped a lot."

"Always. Bye Tee. Love you lots."

I smiled, a tear slipping down my cheek. "Love you lots too," I said and we hung up. Gilbert chuffed, stretching his legs. I scratched behind his ears, his favourite spot. "We'll be okay, we'll be okay." Deep down, something didn't feel right, and a familiar sense of dread began to course through me.

+++

hey 😊

for the next few chapters i want to let you guys get to know the characters a bit more. any thoughts or comments? more about Tarryn will be revealed in the next chapters as well.

thanks so much for reading, it means a lot. lots of love and stay safe - Charlie 🧡